After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen slowly sat up while holding her.

He pointed to the jade prayer beads scattered on the ground not far away, which had lost their luster and even had several faint cracks:

"It's partly because of it. The Buddhist power that my master left in my body to seal away the evil energy, and the purifying power of this string of prayer beads themselves, were activated at the most critical moment. They protected the last bit of undying light deep within my mind."

If it weren't for that bit of clarity and perseverance, he probably would have completely succumbed to evil the moment the evil energy was unsealed, turning into a monster who only knew how to kill.

"And what about the other half?" Jiang Dusheng pressed.

Xie Jinchen raised his other hand, palm up, and his mind stirred slightly.

A wisp of dark red malevolent energy appeared in his palm and slowly swirled.

However, unlike the usual fierce dark red, this wisp of malevolent energy was now intertwined with a trace of dark golden light.

Although the light was weak, it exuded a profound aura, as if it could encompass and devour all things, carrying a kind of supreme majesty.

"The other half of the reason is..." Xie Jinchen stared at the wisp of baleful energy in his palm that was fused with dark gold light, his brows furrowed slightly, and his eyes were filled with confusion. "It seems that there is an extra power in my body... a power that is like the Netherworld power recorded in the book."

"It appeared on its own when I inhaled the evil energy, and instead of clashing with it, it seemed to be controlling the rampaging evil energy."

"The power of the netherworld?" Jiang Dusheng mused.

In a flash, she suddenly remembered something and abruptly looked up at Xie Jinchen:

"Do you remember the little girl we rescued from the snake demon's belly in the mountain god's temple?"

Xie Jinchen nodded.

Jiang Dusheng spoke faster, his mind racing with clues: "When I fought with Shi Qinglian today, he also blurted out that I had the power of the Netherworld. At the time, I was in a hurry to get away and didn't have time to think about it."

"Now it seems..." She stared intently at the faint wisp of light in Xie Jinchen's palm, "That little girl might be the Netherworld Princess, and we rescued her by chance. Perhaps she left a trace of Netherworld power on us as a way of repaying us."

This inference is bold yet reasonable.

Only a power of the Netherworld rank could possibly restrain and harmonize the Yang Sha within Xie Jinchen's body, and even control the resentment of those mixed ghosts that he later forcibly absorbed.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen's eyes flashed with a thoughtful expression. He clenched his palm, and the dark red aura intertwined with golden light quietly receded into his body.

He looked at Jiang Dusheng, raising an eyebrow slightly. "So... does that mean I can use this malevolent energy a little more freely in the future, at least without having to worry about completely losing control every time?"

Jiang Dusheng frowned, carefully sensing the subtle changes in the aura within his body, and said irritably:

"What if the power of the Netherworld stops working one day?" She paused, her expression becoming more serious. "Once this matter is resolved, I'll go back and ask my master. Perhaps he can know something about it."

As she spoke, she was still worried, tugging at Xie Jinchen's sleeve, looking him over from left to right, and even raising her hand to check his forehead and the pulse points on the side of his neck:

"Don't you feel anything's wrong? Dizziness? Shortness of breath? Chest tightness? Or...wanting to kill someone?"

Xie Jinchen let her examine him, a slight smile playing on his lips. Once she withdrew her hand, he grabbed her wrist and steadily pulled her to her feet.

"No. Apart from a slight ache in my arm wound, there's nothing else unusual. And I don't... have any particular urge to kill." He paused, then added, "At least not right now."

Xie Jinchen glanced around at the gradually dissipating yin energy. "Let's go, let's leave this place first. Let's find a place to stay."

Jiang Dusheng then remembered something and asked, "Where are your bodyguards?"

She looked around and saw no one else but the faint ashes left behind after the ghosts had disappeared and signs of a fight.

Xie Jinchen pointed in the direction outside the black pine forest: "The ghosts appeared suddenly, there were too many of them, and they were clearly coming for me."

"I was afraid they would perish here in vain, so I deliberately lured the vengeful ghosts here. They should still be waiting at the rendezvous point a few miles away."

Without further delay, the two carefully collected the scattered jade prayer beads and quickly left this place of trouble, following the direction indicated by Xie Jinchen.

Soon, they met up with the guards who were anxiously waiting in a secluded mountain valley.

Seeing that Xie Jinchen's breathing was still steady despite his arm injury, and that he had returned with Jiang Dusheng, the tense expressions of the guards visibly relaxed, and they all knelt on one knee.

The leader stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute:

"Your Highness, Your Highness's Wife, your subordinates failed in their duty to protect you, allowing you to find yourself in grave danger. We beg Your Highness and Your Highness's Wife to punish us!"

Upon hearing the title "Lady of the Crown Prince," Jiang Dusheng's ears involuntarily burned slightly.

She glanced at Xie Jinchen and saw that his expression was normal, and even a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, so she knew that he must have tacitly approved it.

As expected, Xie Jinchen nodded to the guard who had spoken, his tone approving: "An Yi, well done. Your monthly stipend this month will be doubled."

The guard, referred to as Dark One, was taken aback, seemingly not expecting that a casual address would bring a reward.

His eyes suddenly lit up, and without hesitation, he clasped his hands in a fist salute again, his voice booming, "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness's Wife, for your generous reward!"

Jiang Dusheng was embarrassed again by the unusually loud "Lady of the Heir Apparent" and couldn't help but glare at Xie Jinchen.

Xie Jinchen seemed not to notice, and only instructed An Yi, "This place is not safe to stay for long. Clean up the traces as soon as possible. Find the nearest town and a quiet inn."

"Yes!" An Yi accepted the order and immediately arranged for people to go and scout ahead.

While everyone was busy preparing the carriages and horses, Jiang Dusheng tugged at Xie Jinchen's sleeve, signaling him to come closer.

Xie Jinchen obediently leaned down, and she lowered her voice, speaking in a serious tone:

"Xie Jinchen, even brothers should keep accounts clear. This hundred-mile journey, venturing into dangerous territory and crawling through stinking ditches to rescue you from the encirclement of evil spirits, deserves compensation for the cost of the talismans and the hard work..."

She paused, then gave a figure, "Converted to exactly one hundred thousand taels of silver. Would you prefer cash ingots or bank drafts?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen lowered his voice as well, his warm breath almost brushing against her ear, "I don't have any money."

Jiang Dusheng raised an eyebrow, about to retort, "Is Young Master Xie so poor?", when he heard him slowly add, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear, "How about repaying with your body?"